More difference within the sexes than between them
by SageK
Summary: Prompt: Abnormal induced genderswap


Normally, Will Zimmerman had little difficulty waking up in the morning…at least, not when he wasn't suffering some nasty after effect of one of the typically insane adventures that went along with working at the Old City Sanctuary.

Of course, he normally slept in a plush bed and woke to gentle sunlight filtering in through the curtains.

Today, it felt like he was waking on the floor. Not even a rug or hardwood, but the damp, cold cement of one of the lower levels. There was a musty smell in the air and he could hear a faint hum of machinery.

Forcing his eyes open, Will saw that, yes, he was lying face down on cement. Lovely.

"Ugh," he grunted, sitting up and almost toppling over again. His balance was off…and what the heck was with the hair?

A mass of brown hair had flopped into his face and he yanked at it irritably…almost falling again when his scalp tried to follow. _What the hell? Did Kate glue a wig to my head?_

"Anyone around?" he called out, then paused. _What is wrong with my voice_? He cleared his throat and tried again. "Hello?"

Still weird. He raised a hand to his throat and his forearm bumped against an unexpected curve attached to his chest.

Glancing down, Will blinked, wondering if all the craziness of life at the Sanctuary had finally driven him insane.

Insanity was the most reasonable explanation. He really didn't want to contemplate any other reasons for the sudden appearance of breasts.

Where was Magnus? She'd know what was going on.

* * *

><p>The current situation, while surprising and slightly unsettling, was highly amusing. Watching the reactions of Helen's merry band of do-gooders was well worth a momentary bit of confusion upon awakening to discover he had physically become a she.<p>

In fact, everyone present at the Sanctuary had changed sexes, spontaneously and rather shockingly. The Protégé and Little Miss Thing had brought in an abnormal they thought to be aGorvax, but was actually a Metamorphode. The creature was none too happy at his new captivity and had let out its defensive pheromone, which caused all present to pass out and wake up having undergone nonsurgical gender reassignment.

Having found a mirror, Nikola decided he could definitely work the current situation to his advantage. He knew full well that, in his normal state, he was not bad looking, attractive in a quirky way and that his natural charisma than made up for any perceived physical oddity. His body was fit, slim but strong.

As a woman, he could see echoes of his usual features in the feminized and structure, but the lips were fuller, the cheekbones sharper and nose more refined. His hair was a shoulder length mass of waves, a bit redder than usual and his limbs were long, elegant and lean. The breasts, full and high, were quite marvelous on a frame he'd estimate to be 5'8".

After coming to in the library, he checked out his reflection, then made his way down to the labs to watch the chaos unfold.

It had been better than he'd expected.

Helen was already there, her male version quite handsome, with short cropped dark hair. She stood about 6 feet tall with broad shoulders that were hunched over a computer as she searched for the reason behind this current crisis, hoping it wasn't what they both knew it was.

The effects of a Metamorphode lasted for a month before the affected individual reverted to their usual state. There was no counter agent or cure.

It simply was what it was.

Helen's protégé came tripping into the lab next, wild eyed and even younger looking than usual, a mess of her pale skin, big eyes and dark hair. He made a lovely girl, with a coltish figure that wouldn't look out of place on one of those insipid teen dramas that were so popular.

Will was clearly uncomfortable with the change he'd undergone, holding his hands awkwardly away from his body as though afraid to touch himself and repeatedly having to bight back bursts of near hysterical laughter. Nikola decided he was going to have fun harassing the boy-turned-girl.

Young Ashley, Heinrich, Booty and the Beast arrived together, a confused group, but far less distraught than Will.

Oddly enough, Bigfoot looked...not all that much different than he usually did. Maybe a bit slimmer, but that was all.

A rather hulking man, actually had gotten her father's height and an even broader physique. With bright blue eyes and blond hair surrounding a handsome, square jawed face, she looked like someone casting directors would pick to play a Nordic God.

Lean and wiry were Ashley was broad and muscular, Kate stood nearly 6 feet tall. She made for a very pretty man, with short, dark, glossy curls and big brown eyes.

The biggest (or should he say littlest) surprise was Henry. The HAP technician was not the biggest man, but he had a strong, athletic frame…which hadn't really translated into his female form. He was a tiny, petite thing, standing just over 5 feet tall with a correspondingly slight build. His facial features had become startlingly delicate, surrounded by a tumble of brown curls the kept falling over big, green eyes.

Unable to help himself, Nicola burst out laughing, bent over as he gasped for air. Everyone turned to stare and he managed to mutter, "Oh my…I was not aware adults came in that size!"

Henry was clearly displeased by his current situation, standing with slender arms crossed across his chest. He was wearing one of his normal T-shirts, a great number with what appeared to be a Kraken attacking a tall ship airbrushed across the front, but, instead of being stretched flatteringly across strong shoulders and biceps, it hung loose, actually slipping down off of one delicate shoulder. He was barefoot and didn't seem to have any pants on, though the shirt hung long enough to be decent.

Beside him, Ashley scowled and laid a massive hand on his shoulder protectively. She was wearing an odd outfit of yoga pants (stretched to their absolute maximum capacity) and a painted on tank top. Kates more slender frame was more forgiving, a T-shirt she probably wore to bed only a bit snug and a pair of sweatpants rolled to her knees composed her outfit. Willis button-down shirt was loose and he cinched his belt tightly at his waist. Helen appeared to found a men's shirt somewhere and was wearing it with silk pajama pants.

Nicola's concession to his own state of affairs had been to undo a few buttons on his shirt, which had pulled tight across his chest. While his pants were long and didn't fit quite right, his female form seem to boast familiar slim hips.

All in all, he'd say he probably looked most fashionable of the bunch.

As always.

Though Henry did seem to be sporting what the kids would call 'morning after walk of shame chic'.

That thought was too amusing not to share, but Helen must've seen the glimmer of something in his eyes and she chided, "Nikola, do behave."

"What happened?" Will pleaded a bit desperately, looking around the altered faces of his friends for an explanation.

"Metamorphode?" Big & Hairy questioned and lo, his voice was a slightly higher pitched grunt than usual.

Helen tapped the intake file she had used the lab computer to access, nodding agreement. "That wasn't a Gorvax you two brought in, though it's an easy mistake to make. Metamorphodes are far rarer…and, as you can see, react badly to captivity."

"No kidding," Kate snarked, then paused, cocking an eyebrow to ask, "So how long am I gonna be like this?"

"The effects last for a month," Helen informed her with a sigh. "It's been more than 20 years since this last happened. Ashley was just a baby and Henry wouldn't come out of the air vents for days."

Willis voice reached a new and piercing octave as he demanded, "This has happened before? I know there's no way to brief us on every weird thing that's ever happened here, but the possibility of spontaneously changing sexes really should be in the orientation package."

Nicholas smirked at the impending meltdown while Helen and Bigfoot seemed to be having a mental flashback. Ashley looked curiously at Henry, whose face was screwed up as he searched his own memory, while Kate….

Oh, lovely. She had pulled out the waistband of her pants and was peering down at her new appendage.

Clearly, this is going to be an interesting month. "It's not going to attack you."

Entirly unabashed, Kate released her pants and shrugged. "Oh, come on. Like you haven't checked out your new real estate?"

"Not as such," he replied hautily, but was interrupted as Henry let out a groan.

"You mean that actually happened? I thought it was some sort of hallucination or bad dream," he said and Helen reached out to pat him on the arm.

"That was probably easier for you to understand at the time," she said. "You were already quite out of your depth here to begin with and then sudden exposure to a Metamorphode…shall we just say it did nothing to help you feel at ease."

Biggie chuckled. "The only way we could get you to eat was to leave a plate of food on the table in Ashley's nursery when it was her nap time. You'd pop out of the vents to keep an eye on her, eat and then disappear again. It was like living with a hungry ghost."

Grimacing, Henry said, "Well, I kind of wish these memories had stayed repressed, but what can you do?"

"I like the hiding in the vents option," Will replied, then paled. "Oh no, I have a date with Abby tonight! What am I going to tell her?"

That made Nikola grin. "Oh, whatever you tell her, can I watch?"

The assorted sounds and exclamations of shock made him smile. Yes, this was definitely going to be interesting.

* * *

><p>Comments, pretty please?<p> 


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